U.S. Pat. No. 5,908,214 issued to the assignee of the present invention describes a telescoping handle for a golf ball retriever that has an improved method for preventing separation of the multiple sections forming the retriever handle. While this handle has been found to be very practical for the average length retriever, it has been found that when retrievers are manufactured in lengths of greater than about ten feet, the weight of the retriever handle causes the retriever to assume a bent or arcuate shape making it difficult to accurately position the end of the retriever containing the golf ball gathering device onto a golf ball that is being retrieved. This is particularly disadvantageous when the retriever is used to reach distances greater than about ten feet into water. In those instances, the weight of the retriever coupled with the resistance to movement in the water makes accurate positioning of the golf ball-capturing device more difficult.